PERSONAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1041, 2 February 1911, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS.

To-day tho Prime Minister will he at Tauranga; the Hon. J. Carroll and the Hon. A. T. Ngata on the East Coast; the Hon. J. A. Millar, tho Hon. G. Fowlds, the Hon. Dr.-Findlay, tho Hon. T. Mackenzie, and the Hon. D. Buddo will bo in Wellington, and thy Hon. K. M'Kenzie in the Auckland district. It is probable the Hon. J. A. Millar will go sontb. on Saturday, but ho may not leave- Wellington till Monday. Mr. Millar has not visited his constituency since Juno last. V The Hon. R. M'Kenzie is not expected back in Wellington from the north for almost ii fortnight. It is'expected that Messrs. ,T. Dunlop and ,1. Keith, the .Scottish agricultural commissioners, will arrive in Wellington on Monday next. Their visit is more or less o private one. Tho official itinerary of their journey ended when they completed Australia. Their time being limited, they will stay in Wellington only a few hours, going on to the Wereroa State Farm, ami from there travelling on to the Feilding Agricultural Show. Later they will visit the Dannevirko. Show. The death is ■ announced of Colonel Thomas Challoner Martelli, who distinguished himself in the memorable inarch from Rnjnnporc lo Kandahar. He joined tho Eoynl Artillery in 1857, and at tho time of tho Khnndahar expedition commanded u battery as major, winning high praise in dispatches. He was a brother of Mr. H. Marti'lli, of l'almerston A'ofth, and the late Mr. H. do C. Martelli, of Auckland. His son, Captain H. do Martelli,, it will be remembered,'elfected tho capture of the German spy Holm while sketching the fortifications at Fort Widley, Portsclown Hills. Mr. E. M. Beechy, a member of tho city solicitor's staff; has passed his final solicitor's examination,

The Commandant of the Forces (llajorGenernl A. F. Godley, C.8.), accompanied by Lieut.-C'olonel J.- T. Burnett-Stuart, D.S.O. (Director of Military Operations and Intelligence), and Captain D. C. Spencer-Smith (Staff Officer) arrived from the south yesterday morning. This afternoon, if time permits, the General will pay a visit to the training camp of the Herehungn. Mounted Rifles and Dominion Scouts at the Hutt Park, in the evening will visit Fort Dorset at ,beatoun, to witness the big gun practice by the "Wellington Xavals. Captain Lobb, Marine Superintendent for the Westport Coal Company was a passenger to Wellington by the Arahura last night.' Chief-Detective Marsack, of Auckland, arrived in Wellington on Tuesday evening on a brief \lsit. Mr. David Smith, 8.A., who for some time has been in the employment ot .Messrs. Findlay, Dalziell and Company, solicitors, Wellington, has been appointed managing clerk to Mr. David 1-indlay, solicitor, Lambton Quay. Mr. Smith, who has had a very successful, scholastic career will be remembered as one of the four candidates nominated for the Rhodes scholarship this year. The death is reported by the "Otago Daily Times" of Mr. John Simmons, of Hampden, at the age of 79 years. . He was one , of the miners who were allured from Australia in lSii2. He was only moderately successful on the goldfields, and afterwards' purchased a small farm near Hillgrove, where he resided till about niiie years ago. He was of a very observant disposition, and was on one occasion ' appealed to by the Otago Institute to furnish it with some notes on the frost fish. These notes were regarded by- the institute as setting at rest and clearing up some points which hitherto were somewhat obscure. Mr. Manthel, of the Star Pictures Propriety, and Mr. W. Yeitch, who have been on a business visit to Sydney, returned to Wellington _by the Marama yesterday. '

Mr. W. J. Cracroft Wilson, barrister, of Petone, returned'from Christchurch by the Maori yesterday. Mr. Charles Martor, a former Wellington pressman, and now sub-editor of the Sydney "Daily Telegraph," arrived from Sydney by the Marama on holiday leave yesterday. Mr. C. M. Branson, hotel' proprietor, Dunedin, and president of the Otago Licensed Victuallers' Association, died yesterday morning, after a short illness, states a Press Association telegram. The Hons. W. M. Hughes (Federal At-torney-General) and £. L. Batchelor (Minister for the Interior) arrived in Wellington yesterday from the south, and left at noon by Main Trunk express for Eotol'ua. Thj Ministers were greeted on arrival by Messrs. D. M'Laren, M.P., and E. J. Carey. They breakfasted at tho Hotel Windsor with the Hon. Gco. I'owlds, and afterwards .were taken for a drive round the city. On Monday Messrs. Hughes and Batchelor will leave Wellington for Auckland. Mr. Gen. Barnes, manager for Messrs. J. and N. Tait, arrived ironi Auckland by the Main Trunk yesterday, and left in the evening on his way to Dunedin to meet Miss Amy Castles and the concert company, who arrive. on Tuesday next by the IJliniaroa. Mr. Richard Teece, general manager and actuary of the A.M.P. Society, and Mrs. Teece, accompanied by the Hon. R. i. Black, M.L.C., of Sydney, and Miss Black are visitors to Wellington. Tho Hon. Mr. Black was called to tho Legislative Council of New South Wales in 1900. He is a director of the Bank of New South Wales, the A.M.P.,' and the Perpetual Trustee Company. The party leave Wellington for Nelson by the Arahura on Saturday, and will traverse the< West Coast tourist route. Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Bond, of New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.A., are visitors to Wellington. After a tour of tho'South Island they leave for Sydney to connect with the India, sailing for London on March 8. )

Wellington is losing an old resident in Mr. A. E. Pollock, wiio for over 24 years has been stationed at .the Manawatu (now .ThtfMjrtpiiJ in Wellington in January, ISB7, under engagement with the late Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, ho was'for ten. years in charge of tho goods department, and assistant stationmaster. On the retirement of Mr. Gould, he was appointed stationmastev, which position he filled for twelve years nnd?r tho company, and has continued to. act in the same capacity since the Government took over the Manawatu line some two years ago, Mr. Pollock has been in indifferent health for some time past, and has been, at his own request; transferred to Hastings, as being" a less strenuous position than the one which ho now holds.

Mr. T. M. B. Armstrong of London, assistant manager of the .Ocean Accident and Guarantee Cornoration, accompanied by Mr. C. 21. Jlontefiore, late manager in New Zealand'for the corporation, and now manager for Australia, arrived from Sydney by the Marama yesterday.